New Pug Chod

[scooters]

as you know I was on here the other day looking for a new family runabout for a few months as the Renner SEENIK was uneconimical to repair for the MOT and was shit anyway..

 

We did look at taking on another Renner Scenic kindly pointed in my direction by Kimber but due to a number of organisational challenges - it ddn't come off.

 

I got offered a 306 Td via a mate for £200 with 3 months rent and ticket...what the hell...not really big enough but it will do in the short term.

 

So, this morning collected a 1996 306 Meridian TD 5 door in red (pics to follow) and 186500 on the clock

 

Good bits

Mechanically sound - just had a new timing belt, struts and brakes

engine is sweet

stereo is good

 

to do list

Driver's door lock - it woud't...lock that is - of course discovererd this when I got home. Took the cards off and striped down the locking mechanism calling into quesiton the parentage of the french auto engineers who designed such a difficult access point. Anyway 2 hours of swearing ans I was able to dismantle the lock - I disconnected the outer handle and freed up/greased the inside locking rod so at least now we can actually lock the chuffing car - allbeit from the passenger side..

 

I noticed that the central locking relay is missing as well so more parts to the order list..

 

In addition -

The 'handbrake cable which needs tightening' must exist in a parallel universe cos there aint no handbrake cable..(only the one on this - drumsies at the back!) so that's another flippin hassle of a job

 

Both the above are quite cheap to sort but tedious frustrating jobs that can easily take flippin hours especially the locks which will need a new driver's mechanism, new relay, and a pair of new barrels -

 

In addition I need a new boot lock and barrel as the key disnay fit it!

 

It needs a new to engine mount (306's lunch these) - t's a ten quid part but sounds horribly clunky under low speed high revs.

 

Also needed are:

 

offside window switch

clock

bonnet badge

New rev counter cable

 

all adds up - by the time I am finished it will be another £130 and many hourse sweari9ng but hopefully we will have a usable and reliable car...good news again - Bosch fuel pump so chip shop here we come!

[overheadvalve]

Sounds good for the money, £200 is only about £30 over scrap money really isn't it?

Sounds like a good 'un if you can fix her up.

[scooters]

confident its an easy fix.great drive this thing - haven't driven a 306 before and it is glued to the road

[dollywobbler]

If the central locking relay is missing, that suggests it was doing a favourite 306 trick - you lock it, then it instantly unlocks and won't stay locked! I think it's usually down to duff wires between door and body.

 

They are great though aren't they? Peugeot really made them handle, but the ride is nice and compliant too. I think mine must be one of the best cars I've ever owned really - it managed to last well over a year with me!

[Guest Len H]

If it's a facelift model it definitely won't have a Bosch fuel pump, unless it's been retro-fitted.

 

It sounds like a bargain in spite of the issues.

[scooters]

I was being rather ungenerous about the possible questionable parentage of the French automotive engineers who decided to make critical components of the lock mechanism out of the nastiest plastic possible and also decided to put a lock and actuator the size of a flippin sirloin steal into a hole that requres one to have the dexterity of an octopus and the fingers of a thai masseuse who specialises in 'happy endings'.

 

Know what you mean Iain, I do love the access to the fuses and relays - none of the Volvo "hey Sven letsch bury deese relayz az deep in ze dash as dey can go"

 

( that will be the Jamaican Volvo design office BTW)

 

the missing locking relay is ominous and I might just give it a miss as it has quite obviously been an issue with this car in the past..

 

OK so I need new lock barrels and keys for the boot and the drivers door - £20 worth I reckon - Len, you might know this..is there any parts interchangability with the barrels/locks with other PSA chod of the period? The door lock barrels look awfully BX/AX to me but it's been a while.

 

Facelift model...not sure if it is or isn't - it's a Meridian but certainly isn't a facelift meridan as it has rear drums and no half leather..It was registered on 22nd December 1996 so I suspect it might be one of those 'special edition' stop gaps that you get between versions/facelifts..bits appear facelift but there's a lot of pre facelift 'featurz' as well

 

Not checked the fuel filter yet as spent too many hours swearing at the driver's door mechanism..I do have a Bosch pump from an AX lurking somwhere but will report back when I check

 

locks/handbrake cable/engine mount aside - it's a tidy wee motor and a hoot to drive - great handling

 

The squaddie I bought it from was a tabber and it's a bit honky in there - the seats have suffered from 'toddleritis' think I might source some new seats/cards - you can pick up and interior for £50 in good nick.

 

leading edge of the bonnet has nastier tin worm that I had origionally thought - get the filler can out methinks¬

[dollywobbler]

1996 was the first (and IMHO best) facelift. Smoother grille, different rear lights. Then, later on, it went a bit blingy - the start of Peugeot losing the plot with styling?

[scooters]

agreed with losing the plot - the 307 is a dog's cock of a design

[scooters]

well,

took the pug for a spin today and put it through its paces...

 

Firstly - the usual PSA TD or Gti problem of having a top engine mount that is about as robust as a daisy petal is badly shot - wonderful clunk clunk noise under load at low speeds

 

secondly - the lack of handbrake means remembering German Road Law parking techniques in angling the car intowards the kerb especially on hills and leaving in gear...hand brake cables now a priority

 

thirdly - usual TD large puff of Black smoke under full throttle - only under full throttle - I know that all diesels do this to some extent but is there anyway I can reduce it? pump screw? new air filter?

 

fouthly - what great handling this car has - goes round corners on rails and inspires huge confidence...

 

So todo list:

 

Urgent - engine mount, handbrake, new driver's lock barrel and key, new boot barrel and key

 

not so urgent - new: near side front window switch, near side front door inside locking button, grill badge

 

looks like when I get the wee jobs done it could be quite a good wee car - not impressed with the insurance quote though! - getting very high round here just now - cheapest I can find is £480 3rd party - ear in mind last year I insured the 535i for £220

[trigger]

I always found 306's to be cheap to tax as for some reason they had low insurance groups, I've had 2 of them a L reg 1.9 XLD and a V reg 1.8 Meridian and both were great cars, if a little flimsy, the 1.8 went like a rocket!

[dollywobbler]

Don't worry about the smoke as long as the air filter looks clean. I used to appreciate that soot when it came to dealing with tailgaters!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yeah if the air filter is clean, and the engine breathers are not blocked, a bit of smoke is pretty harmless and not worth worrying about. If its really bothering you some fuel treatment stuff might help clean the injectors a bit and help mixing in the cylinder maybe, no promises mind.

[Cavcraft]

Why did Citroen/Peugeot make their door locks and associated bits out of papier mache? Lost count how many I had that gave problems and more than one had 'French Door Syndrome' by where one day a door would open then it wouldn't for weeks on end until it suddenly decided to do it's job.

 

Anyhow for that money you cannot really go wrong. 306 diseasels are pretty sought after at the moment.

[scooters]

THNX 4 DA TIPZ

 

had a really good root around the engine bay today - handbrake, locks and engine mount aside, the engine bay is very clean and the engine block, injectors and manifolds are gleaming....the lat who sold it to me was based at Redford barracks and they have a REME workshop there - his mates in the Reme basically serviced it for him, they changed the timing belt, brakes (which are great), anti roll bars and serpenitine belt && tensioner...they removed the handbrake cables which were fooked and were waiting for some new ones and an engine mount and locks when their rupert wanted to know why the exhausts on the landrovers hadn't been checked and what was a 96 ThreeOhChod doing in his feckin garage!!....result....car quickly returned to the squaddie's house and he decided to off it as is about to deploy for the second time to the 'stan

 

I haven't checked the air filter but suspect it will be a new one...gonna shy away from Redex treatment - I put far too much in the Yugo by mistake (3 lt tank) and ended up doing a trabant impression with the amount of white smoke billowing out the back! Took about 3 tanks to clear.

[dieselnutjob]

Buy some Millers Diesel Clean (or whatever it's called now) and chuck in a double dose at your next fillup.

After that a single dose each time. The improved economy will offset the cost of buying the stuff.

Also it makes MOTs easier.

[scooters]

Buy some Millers Diesel Clean (or whatever it's called now) and chuck in a double dose at your next fillup.

After that a single dose each time. The improved economy will offset the cost of buying the stuff.

Also it makes MOTs easier.

 

 

Thanks DNJ...

 

Just been out in it again to get some petrol for the Yugo - it makes me miss my 205 Gti...the driving position and glued to the track feel brings it all back

 

maybe....maybe....a nice wee 1.6 Gti could be a stable mate later in the year if I am very good and use Cav's cav as a daily

[scooters]

Now the fleet is down to th Pug and the Scoob following the sale of the Yugo, I found myself bored this morning and decided to have a bit more of a tinker with the car.

 

It gave me a good chance to give it the going over that I have not had the time to do to date.

 

The obvious issues are the lack of handbrake and the engine mount. Given my health issues I have decided to outsource the handbrake to the guys at National. The enigne mount is definately due to the rubber disintegrating rather the captive bolt having sheered so that is good news. Euro have them at either 12 or 30 quid depending on quality - Pug sell em for £58.

 

Door locks are annoying but can be sorted.

 

Jacked if up for a poke around..a wee bit of undercarraige corrosion but nothing that a few hours of fire brush and a pot of underseal won't solve.

 

The spare wheel holder is in a bad way - the wheel itself is quite corroded so I will probably replace both.

 

The rust on the leading bonnet edge has proved to be surface only. The bubbling on the boot ain't too bad.

 

A wee bit of corrosion in the engine bay - won't need too much sorting

 

The good new is that the timing nelt, serpentine, a pulley, a reconned lucas pump (not bothered about veg oil TBH it's not that cheap anymore and I'm not doing the miles to justify conversion to a bosch) new front rotors and pads, new tie rod ends, service, new oil/filter, new fuel filter, new air cleanser. The clutch seems pretty recent as well, coolant is new and clear. Soundz come for a top of the range original Blaupunkt WIV 10 CD multi Changer - all working and brilliantly 90's and with working stalk mounted remote

 

The sun roof motor works but it is jammed shut at the moment - I suspect through lack of use. I quite like having the roof open especially in winter on sunny days so I am going to manually wind it back and grease all - also gives me a chance to clean out the drain pipes. The door mechanisms all need a clean, tighten and grease up - the rear hinges are especially noisy

 

It needs a new rear door wiper and a passenger window switch.

 

Also a bloody good clean inside smells of Tabs - I will try and find a half leather interior which hopefully won't brake the bank - full leather will be tricky because usually only avaliable for 3 door cars - this is a rare 5 Door Meridian.

 

The only thing missing from the spec is Air Con - but I live in Scotland- just a hassel and unless it is roasting I never use because of fuel consumption.

No ABS either but actually - in a car I am maintaining myself I really don't care - compound braking in the ice/wet

the other thing I need to fix is the Rev counter - suspect crank case sensor.